Gallup Day Trips

Gallup offers visitors a way to truly experience Native America’s unique landscapes and ancient cultures. Start your day by strolling down Route 66 and shopping at the many galleries and trading posts. More than 80% of the world’s turquoise goes through Gallup, and many visitors can find authentic jewelry for low prices. Once you’ve finished shopping, drive east to Red Rock Park. Here you can hike or bike around red sandstone cliffs. After your tour of the immediate Gallup area, choose from two incredible journeys to see Native American culture.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

See where one thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Chaco Canyon built monumental public buildings, straight roads and ceremonial kivas. Pueblo Bonito, the most magnificent of the buildings, contained more than 600 rooms and towered four stories tall. For 300 years, Chaco was the center of this culture that united a vast area of the Southwest. The park is a designated World Heritage Site. Thirteen major Chacoan sites dominate the canyon floor and mesas. Park facilities include a visitor center, museum, short walking trails to the major sites and four backcountry-hiking trails.

Take Highway 371 northeast until you reach the Chaco Culture National Historical Park Entrance.

Zuni Pueblo

Zuni Pueblo is the largest inhabited pueblo in the United States. It was built upon the ruins of the ancient site of Halona, one of the fabled “Seven Cities of Gold.” Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, located near the center of the pueblo, was originally constructed in 1629 and was rebuilt in 1968. Zuni is a vibrant pueblo, where some 10,000 industrious people continue to till the fields and herd their sheep and cattle. The pueblo’s many artisans work in their homes, creating the outstanding, world-renowned Zuni silver work inlaid with turquoise, shell and coral, as well as miniature stone carvings called “fetishes.” A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center has two hundred exceptional artifacts on “loan” from the National Museum of the American Indian. They provide a walk-through glimpse into the Zuni past while portraying the relationship between the tribe and the outside world.